You may be living with a bed bug infestation in your home and not even be aware of it. These microscopic insects are excellent at hiding themselves during the day, only emerging during the night to bite humans and pets. Female bed bugs lay hundreds of eggs, and if the infestation is not mitigated through pest control measures, they can reproduce several times a year. The signs below will help you recognize a bed bug infestation.
Molted Skins
Immature bedbugs must feed in order to reach their next life stage, and after that feeding they molt, or shed, their exoskeletons. To reach adulthood, bed bugs must feed and molt five times, so if you have an infestation, there may be large quantities of shed skins in your home. These appear as empty brownish-red bug shaped shells. Check along the baseboards in your bedroom and behind your bed’s headboard for molted bed bug skins.
Excrement Spots
Bed bugs do not feed every night—adults will bite a host only once every five to seven days, though of course if there are a large number of bugs you may experience bites every night. Between feedings, bed bugs digest the blood they have consumed and then excrete the waste, which can be identified as small, dark spots on the mattress, bed frame and other areas in your bedroom.
Bed bug Aggregations
Colonies of bed bugs tend to gather together in groups after feeding to rest, digest, and reproduce. The areas where they congregate, called aggregations, can appear at first glance to be simply spots of black mold or mildew. Look closer, however, and you will be able to identify bed bug aggregates by the presence of live and dead insects, excrement spots, molted skins, and eggs.
Bed bug infestations can quickly get out of hand if you don’t contact an experienced pest control professional. If you live in Orange County, call Payne Pest Management today at (949) 450-9955 to learn more about treatments for your home bed bug problem.